Forgotten Land

Forgotten Land is one of Ji??í Kylián’s masterpieces. Both nationally and internationally the ballet has won high praise. Forgotten Land, made in 1981, was set to Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem. The master choreographer was inspired by a painting by the Norwegian Edvard Munch, on which three women are pictured in various stages of life. In addition, Kylián got inspired by East Anglia, the English coast line where Benjamin Britten was born, which is slowly disappearing under sea level.  Nature constantly takes on other forms, just as human relationships do.

Forgotten Land is a ballet for twelve dancers, dancing in pairs. With a remarkable intensity, the pairs portray various stages in human relationships. It is an unpredictable, powerful answer to Britten’s explosive music. Kylián’s source of inspiration is beautifully expressed in the background, a restless sea that keeps moving with the dance.